doodles, UT xmas, first whistle lesson

The first two pictures in today's Blathering are part of The Flying Fire Hydrant collection, which are basically Corel Painter experiments I've been sending to my friend Rand over the past year as my Christmas present to him last year; he had made the mistake of expressing interest in seeing these experimental doodles earlier on :-). Originally I had tried to do this every weekday but it ended up as several times a week instead. A few days ago, I printed up all the pictures I've been sending him and sent them to him so he'll have a hardcopy record. It was a selfish gift since I likely enjoyed it more than he did (some of the pieces I sent him were VERY experimental), plus it motivated me to be more adventurous in trying different styles instead of sticking with the safe and familiar.

I've had great fun playing around with Corel Painter this past year, especially as my tendinitis improved and I was able to properly use my Wacom Artpad. The first image was created using the "Reed Pen" and gouache brushes with the "Multiply layers" turned on. The second was done with a "Croquil Pen" brush. You can click on any image to see a bigger version. I find that trying different brushes inspire me to experiment with all kinds of styles.

I've been posting some of my experiments in my Flickr Doodles Page, if anyone's interested. You can always find the link by clicking on "PHOTOS" in the lefthand navigation menu on any Blatherings page.

While browsing the Flickr Illustration group, I came across a weekly collaboration project called Illustration Friday, which challenges artists (of all different levels of experience) to post an image with a particular theme. The picture I posted for the topic "Home" is at the bottom of the page. I find the project lots of fun, and the images don't tend to take me more than a couple of minutes to draw.



Did a bit of Christmas celebrating with Allison and Jodi yesterday at the Frog & Firkin, where we did our Christmas gift exchange. Thanks, Allison and Jodi, for the lovely gifts! I got some chocolates, teas, a jingle bell snowman ornament and HMV gift certificate from Jodi; Allison gave me a firefly notepad, a sampler CD of Tolkien-inspired songs she's been putting together, and a blue plastic envelope containing a wonderful personalized calendar full of photos that she and I have taken over the past year. Afterward, Jodi went home; Allison and I decided to go see "Kinsey", which we both enjoyed.

Also had my first whistle lesson yesterday! Wow, I learned so much in an hour. Karen Light had me play through one of the tunes I've learned (I chose the Swallow Tail reel), then told me what things she can tell I already know, what things she's going to help me work on. She explained some of the different whistle-playing styles, said that she teaches in the style of Mary Bergin, but that in the end I should play in whatever style with which I'm most comfortable. I learned about where to tongue during whistle tunes, two different types of "cuts" (kind of ornamentation), how to do a roll (another kind), where to take a breath during a tune. Also found out that I've been misprouncing the word "Comhaltas"; it should be pronounced as Coltis.

My posting for this week's Illustration Friday. Topic: "Home."

She also strongly suggested I get a hand-held tape recorder to tape lessons. Some of the people at the Tranzac session suggested I begin recording sessions, so this has made up my mind. However, I have no idea what type to get; I'd like to spend as little money as possible but I'd also like a handheld recorder that has decent enough quality that I can pick out a tune. Size is also an issue; ideally, I'd like it to be as small as possible.

Any suggestions?

By the way, several of you have expressed interested in the "Black Book" for sale at my Tranzac session. Once I get my own copy, I'll write up a brief description so you can decide whether to buy one or not. I'll also have to check whether it's available to those not attending the session.

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